Waheeda Rahman

My favourite Asha songs are Bhanwara bada nadaan hain (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam), Nadi naare na jaao shyam paiyan paroon (Mujhe Jeene Do) and Sach hue sapne tere (Kala Bazaar).

Even at this age, Ashaji has this childish naughtiness in her voice which she uses beautifully according to situations and artistes. I loved her songs in Umrao Jaan and Rangeela. She can sing any kind of song, she has no inhibitions. You can see her versatility, because her voice even matches Urmila Matondkar's.

She's full of life. When you meet her, she is full of beans! I don't know her well, but whenever we met, I was struck by her openness and warmth.

Asha and Lata (Mangeshkar), along with (Mohammed) Rafisaab were the only singers who asked which artiste they were playbacking for. They would keep the artistes in mind and sing accordingly. That is why songs matched the artistes so well.

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